THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ending speculation, the Congress on Thursday night unveiled its second list of 37 candidates.
Three seats — Ambalappuzha, Payyanoor and Ottappalam — where the party is expected to support independents, have been left vacant. Former CPM leaders G Sudhakaran, V Kunhikrishnan and PK Sasi are expected to contest from these seats.
In the disputed Kannur seat, the party has fielded TO Mohanan. Former KPCC chief and Kannur Lok Sabha MP K Sudhakaran had been exerting pressure on the party leadership to contest from here. However, the high command decided against fielding sitting MPs.
Youth Congress leader Abin Varkey was given Aranmula despite opposition from a section of workers. Deepak Joy will be the candidate from Tripunithura.
In the high-voltage Nemom constituency, where BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar is taking on sitting MLA and state Education Minister V. Sivankutty, the Congress has fielded its youth leader KS Sabarinathan.
In Kochi, VD Satheesan’s nominee and current DCC president Mohammed Shiyas will contest. Instead of sitting MLA Eldhose Kunappillil, who is facing sexual harassment charges, Manoj Moothedan will be fielded as the party’s candidate from Perumbavoor.
In what is being seen as the most significant test for the Congress since the era of the stalwarts, the dramatic events unfolded in New Delhi over the past week, exposing deep pressures within the party.
The developments on Thursday morning were a continuation of the lingering power struggle for dominance between the leader of opposition VD Satheesan- Ramesh Chennithala faction against the camp led by AICC general secretary KC Venugopal loyalists on Wednesday night.
Party sources said the Satheesan- Chennithala faction attempted to recoup the ground it lost during the preparation of the first candidate list, escalating tensions through disputes over individual seats and thereby delaying the finalisation process. As deliberations hit a deadlock around 2.30 am, both Satheesan, Chennithala returned to Kerala, leaving the high command in a precarious position.
“This forced the Central Election Committee into a situation in where it could not decide on the disputed seats,” said a leader. “with Satheesan – Chennithala faction absent, the high command feared that any decision would be viewed as unilateral.”
The Venugopal camp also viewed the move as an attempt to delay the candidate selection process. The high command subsequently held further discussion with the two leaders over the phone.
However, as it became clear that the announcement of the candidate list would be delayed due to the standoff with Satheesan- Chennithala faction, Venugopal advised the leadership to inform those candidates whose names had already been finalised, to begin campaigning, including roadshows, without waiting for the official announcement.
“That decision helped to offset the delay caused by the prolonged seat sharing discussions with factional leaders. It also came as a surprise to them, as they believed the delay in announcing the candidates would ultimately reflect on Venugopal,” said another leader.
Leaders said that the AICC leadership was compelled to navigate intense pressure from multiple factions, each vying to assert dominance in the run up to key electoral decisions. The Venugopal camp at the end succeeded in gaining upper hand in the second candidate list as well, while conceding some seats to Satheesan faction including Kochi.
Meanwhile, party sources said that, though Sudhakaran agreed to abide by the party position, a senior working committee member allegedly misled the media by suggesting that the former KPCC president was set to quit the party. “We see this as a concerted effort to push the party into a difficult position at a decisive time,” said a KPCC office bearer.
Observers now believe the positive outcome of the standoff between different factions and the Congress high command has positioned Venugopal as an unchallenged leader